Meet Matthew Podolsky
Matthew Podolsky is a Tampa personal injury attorney working out of our office just off 275 at Kennedy Boulevard. Matthew started his career in finance and has worked extensively in family law and bankruptcy law, even managing his own successful practice for close to a decade. Matthew decided to sell his law firm and set his sights on joining the team at Farah and Farah to focus exclusively on personal injury.
With so much experience across different practice areas, Matthew is able to see the total picture and guide his clients with steadfast representation from day one. If you’re injured in Tampa and need an experienced attorney in your corner, Matthew Podolsky is who you want to call.
I Help Good People Going Through Bad Times
Owning a family and bankruptcy law firm, I used to say I was simply helping good people going through bad times. My clients were everyday folks; they were hard-workers who had a sudden, often tragic, event and just needed some help. I felt that my community needed quality legal services at reasonable costs – that’s why I opened my firm. But owning a firm also means you are handling every aspect of administration. I sold my practice with the sole intent of getting into personal injury, so I could focus all my energy on advocating for the underdog.
I truly enjoy helping people in times of need and personal injury law is something that’s very inline with my desire to do that. My clients are people who are suddenly thrust out of their daily routine and need assistance. You pay into your insurance year after year thinking that it will be there when you need it. But in reality, that’s often not the way it plays out.
All the back-and-forth afterwards leads to a mountain of stress for the average person, which only makes recovering from their injuries that much harder. My role as a car accident attorney in Tampa is to be an advocate for injured people, so they can recover to the absolute fullest.
Handling Your Case From Day One
There are two sides of personal injury law, known as pre-litigation and litigation. Pre-litigation is where your case starts from the moment you contact our firm and all the way to the settlement table. Most cases are settled in the pre-litigation stage, but if it needs to move further to get what’s fair, our firm can file suit and move into the litigation phase. This is where the case would go to court.
Across my career, I’ve had experience in both pre-litigation and litigation cases, but I find myself drawn to the pre-litigation side. I prefer people rather than judges, and relationships rather than rulings. If I rely on all of my legal experience across the spectrum and foster a great client relationship, I’m able to better understand the client’s needs.
Being there for them as a counselor often goes far beyond just being their attorney. I love the people-side of this business and Farah and Farah’s client-centric approach is in lockstep with how I prefer to operate.
Experience Makes You a More Valuable Attorney
My professional career has spanned the gamut from mortgage broker and president of a financial group to building a successful law firm from the ground up. That experience is valuable and I’ve picked up so many hard-earned lessons along the way. My legal career has produced many memorable cases that have built up my experience brick by brick. However, there is one case I’ll truly never forget.
This was a divorce case where the parties had minor children together. The custody was contentious and the battle over assets an all-out war. I was representing the mother and mainly fighting for more time sharing. There was one incident where the father decided to withhold high-school graduation tickets for their daughter’s upcoming graduation. As a parent, missing that moment would be devastating. I called the principal of the school and made arrangements to get my client tickets to that event so she could see her daughter walk across the stage.
We continued to make tremendous progress during litigation when, tragically, my client passed away. In the practice of law, there isn’t a timeout for life’s uncertainties. You just keep fighting to the best of your ability each and every day. Even though that case was now over, it was little things like just being there for my client and her immense gratitude that makes this case one I’ll never forget.
Getting Outside on the Weekends
Recharging is important so on the weekends, my wife and I love getting outside and especially riding our bikes. Pinellas County has so many awesome bike trails that run all through the county. The aptly-named “Pinellas Trail” is one of our favorites. It’s two blocks from the ocean and it’s fun to pop over for a ride on the beach.
As long as we’re talking about beaches, Honeymoon Island State Park is one of the most beautiful places you’ll find anywhere. Our hound mix, “Lieutenant,” is a huge fan of the dog park beach they have there. And of course, if it’s basketball season, you’ll most likely find me cheering on my favorite team, the New York Knicks.
